Urban Birding And Its Environs

Manila / Mt. Makiling / Villa Escudero / Palay-Palay / Coastal Road

( 5 Days / 4 Nights )

           

Day 01
MANILA

Arrival in Manila (Dinner) Transfer to standard city hotel for accommodation.
Tour briefing. Birding in the Philippines can easily start within the metropolitan
area or one "Urban Birding". Identified birding Sites within the metropolis are
school campuses of the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Ateneo de
Manila University along katipunan Avenue and some reclamation sites in
Paranaque City.  

Day 02
MANILA / MT. MAKILING / VILLA ESCUDERO

Early morning departure for Mt. Makiling in Laguna. Mt. Makiling is an extinct
volcano about 65km south of Manila covered by a lush rainforest ecosystem.
2,000 flowering plants, 45 mammal species and 181 species of birds, many
of which are endemic, make their home here. The natural terrain like mud
springs, waterfalls and forest trees contribute in making the site an ideal bird
habitat. Some of the best-looking birds in the Philippines can be found on the
flanks of this mountain. The Luzon-endemic Ashy Ground-Thrush could be a
challenging quest in the Mt. Makiling is recommended so one can try afternoon
birding at the Botanical garden of the University of Philippine Campus. Continue
drive to Villa Escudero in Tiaong, Quezon. Lunch at a local restaurant. Late
afternoon arrival in villa Escudero. Birding. Check in for overnight accommodation
a Villa Escudero Plantation.

Day 03
VILLA ESCUDERO / PALAY-PALAY / CAYLABNE

Early morning birding, followed by breakfast at the resort. Villa Escudero
is a plantation in Tiaong, Quezon that has been converted into a resort. It is
approximately a two-hour drive south of Manila. The resort is owned and
managed by the Escudero family, a very prominent fixture of Filipino social,
political and cultural scene. The resort is visited yearly by thousands of
tourists that come to enjoy dining at a waterfalls restaurant as well as cart
rides by water buffalos, visiting museums and cultural performances.
Villa Escudero is the site of the first hydroelectric power plant in the
Philippines that began operation in 1921.

Villa Escudero is an Excellent place for birding. Fruit bearing trees and
flowering plants set against a backdrop of running rivers and lakes have
transformed the plantation estate inyo a natural habitat for indigious
species of birds. One's quest is to photograph the Indigo-banded King-
fisher. Lunch at the resort. Drive to Mt. Palay-Palay Cavite.

Birding in Mt. Palay-Palay / Mataas na Gulod National Park is always
a rewarding experience. Mt. Palay-Palay / Mataas na Gulod National
Park is Cavite's biggest protected area teeming with unique biodiversity
and high endemism of wildlife. Its forest have been a major water source
of thousands of generations of Cavitenos and is home to some of the
magnificent natural treasures of the country that cfannot be found
anywhere else the world. A resident of Mt. Palay-Palay, the Rufous
Hornbill(Buceros Hydrocorax), locally known as Kalaw, is classified
as near threatened and is listed in the threatened species in the
International Union of the Conservation of Nature(IUCN). Mt. Palay-Palay
Natural Park also host at least 123 species of wildlife. Thirty one percent
(31%) of these are endangered of threatened such as the Luzon
Bleeding-Heart, Philippine Falconet, Blue-naped Parrot, etc. Afternoon
arrival in Mt. Palay-Palay. Check in at the resort for accommodation.
Dinner at the resort.  

Day 04
CAYLABNE / MANILA                                                           

Early morning birding. Caylabne Bay Resort is located in the fringes of the
national park. The resort is home to more than 70 sepcies of birds, the
most interesting of which is the endemic Philippine Duck. Caylabne has
managed to remain the natural haven it has always been. Sorrounded by
virgin forests with tick rows of mangroves on one part and bordered by
pristine shoreline, Caylabne Bay Resort hosts a rich variety of fauna.
Wild jungle fowls, lizards, monkeys and many avian species consider this
part of Cavite their "home".

After lunch, drive back to Manila. Along the way, pass through a birding
site in the reclamation area of Paranaque and Las Pinas, just off the
Coastal Road. The seven-hectare declared as a critical habitat and
ecotourism area. Check in at a hotel for accommodation. Dinner at a
local restaurant with novelty Filipino entertainment to cap the day.

Day 05
Departure MANILA

Rest of the day at leisure until transfer to airport for the departure flight.